Charter Revision Ok`d By Voters

GREENACRES CITY — An overwhelming majority of the city`s voters approved a charter revision that requires the mayor and council members to live in the city.

About 96 percent of the voters approved the ordinance changing the charter`s residency requirements governing the city`s elected officials.

Greenacres City is divided into five districts. The old statute required a council candidate to reside, at the time of election, in the district he sought to represent. Under the previous charter, a mayoral candidate could reside anywhere in the city at the time of election. However, the law placed no residency requirements on officials after they assumed office.

Under the new law, council members are required to maintain residency in the district from which they are elected.

Former Mayor Jim Rawlins asked City Attorney Preston Mighdoll to draft the ordinance calling for the change after residency questions arose over former Councilmen William E. Perry and Carl Sacks.

Perry resigned February 1984 following allegations that he no longer lived in the city.

Sacks` 1983 council opponent, Jules Cohen, claimed during a council meeting last November that Sacks no longer resided in Greenacres City. At the time, Sacks responded to the accusation by saying he still lived in Greenacres City, but also owned homes in Wellington and Connecticut.

Sacks decided not to seek re-election to his District 5 seat prior to the passage of the ordinance.